Long Island Small Business Web Solutions - Right Way Internet -

E-Commerce - 10 Steps to Success By Josh Greenfield

Peter James — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 11:28:44 GMT

There have been plenty of promises made to small businesses about how e-commerce can transform a poor business into a thriving success through simple technology. Before we go further, let's clarify something, e-commerce must be thought of as an extension to existing business models. What do I mean? If you have a solid business model prior to expanding online, there's a good chance your business will prosper through e-commerce. If your fundamental business model is flawed, then going online will only compound the problem. Having said that, this article will deal with the former scenario.

What are the Secrets of Succeeding in Business Online?

Don’t reinvent the wheel, or, in other words, don’t make the same mistakes as others have. Specifically, I'm talking about paying too much money for someone to build you a shopping cart (required for online transactions). While you can build one that meets your requirements, it can also suffer from serious security flaws. Purchase an off-the-shelf shopping cart that is open-source, i.e. the code is free to modify. That way, you can customize the cart to meet your exact requirements at a fraction of the cost of building one from scratch.
Pay extra for a quality design some people are going to argue about this, but let me explain. Put yourself in the position of the consumer and imagine visiting a Web site that looks a little dodgy, will you feel confident enough to submit your credit card information in such a case? Making purchases online is all about confidence; a customer must feel assured that you are a reputable company, and the best way to project that image is through a well designed Web site.
Set up a real-time payment gateway don't even think about accepting credit card payments online unless you have a secure merchant gateway to a bank. With the threat of hackers being so prevalent on the Web, you should NEVER store any credit card details. Let me repeat this point NEVER STORE CREDIT CARD DETAILS, the risk is too great. Besides, the benefit of real time payment gateways ensure receipt of your money straight away, and more people will be willing to purchase online if you have the facility to charge their card(s) at the point of purchase.
It’s not all about price Don’t fall into the trap so many businesses make when going online. Keep prices competitive, but concentrate on the value-added products and services. For example, offer next business day delivery; since most people who shop online are strapped for time. Nothing impresses busy people more than having their goods delivered quickly. Also, why not throw in some complimentary items? You’d be surprised how much people appreciate a gift with their purchase, even if it's just a chocolate mint.
Keep them informed A quality newsletter keeps your business fresh in the minds of your customers, but don’t overdo it. The key is to send out newsletters only when you have something important to say or offer your customers.
Viral marketing is the key This should be your PRIMARY marketing objective. People often spend thousands of dollars trying to promote their business through online advertising campaigns but forget the most important facet of a good marketing plan the customer. You'll receive more business through word of mouth than any other advertising medium. You must get people talking about your business (in a positive light).
Employ affiliates to promote your Web site This is especially important when trying to promote online shops, since most e-commerce Web sites are dynamic (database driven). Why? Well it comes down to how search engines index your Web site. Despite modern techniques, Google, Yahoo and other search engines have difficulties adding dynamic Web pages to their index. Hence, getting found on the Web can be difficult. A good affiliate can direct traffic to your Web site for a small commission should a sale be made.
Keep inventory levels to a minimum This applies not only to online business, but to bricks and mortar operations also. Excess inventory ties up cash and reduces business efficiency. The trick is to improve your supply chain so that inventory can be replenished quickly. There's always a trade-off between offering your customers everything and not making them wait for out of stock items. If in doubt, stock up on your main sellers and have a clause about availability for low selling items (keep in mind point 4 above, regarding fast delivery).
Provide customer testimonials but don’t fake it!! Nothing turns customers off quicker than hearing how you are the best thing since sliced bread. Keep it REAL only post testimonials which are believable.
Don’t wait! Seriously, this is paramount. The Internet is evolving at a rapid pace, most businesses realize that obtaining a Web presence is essential, fewer realize that the window of opportunity is decreasing quickly. I've seen it firsthand, those businesses that were making huge profit margins a few years ago, are beginning to see the market flatten out with increased competition. There's still the potential to make a LOT of money through e-commerce, but the time to act is now.

About the Author
John Greenfield from easy2find.com.au has more than 12 years experience in internet related business specialising in e-commerce and online business strategies.

This article originally appeared on WebReference.com.

Paying for Search Engine Placement

Peter James — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 08:39:49 GMT

Search engine optimization (SEO) can get you noticed, but sometimes you need to go the extra mile to separate yourself from your competition. Optimizing your site for natural searches, implementing keywords and organizing your content in a way that makes it easy for search engine crawlers to find your site, can increase the chances of shoppers typing the name of a product they're looking for and getting a link to your site on the results page. One issue is that if you sell a popular product, like athletic shoes or CDs, it’s tough to be among the top results listed when shoppers start browsing on search engines.

Paid searches can provide a shortcut around search engine clutter and bring more visitors to your site. By paying for placement on search engine results pages, you can almost guarantee that potential customers will find you more easily, and, hopefully, buy more products from you online.

Paid search is an online advertising program that lets you bid on specific keywords or phrases so that when a user searches for information on a particular topic on a search engine, they see your ad. Paid search results are often displayed as “Sponsor Results” or “Sponsored Links” on a results page and usually placed in a section of the page that is made to stand out with either different colors or enhanced text. When a user clicks on the ad, you’re charged a nominal fee for the referral — prices start at around $0.10 a click, but average over $0.40 per click.

Paid searches can be a powerful, effective way for small business owners to generate more traffic to their web sites. The process is helping many site owners increase their online presence in a relatively short amount of time.

Getting Started
To begin the paid search process, visit the popular search engine sites, Yahoo!, Google, etc. Each has its own system to facilitate the process. You’ll be asked for information about your company, a written description of your site, and the keywords you think you should be listed under. The process can take as little as a few hours to complete. Follow these steps to get started:

Register your site: First, use your credit card to create an account with a paid search system such as Yahoo! Search Marketing (formerly Overture) or Google’s AdWords.
Create your ad: For best results, the ad should have the actual search term near the beginning, then perhaps a special offer or feature, the company name, and a link to the page on your site that you want customers to visit. For example, if your site sells athletic shoes, your ad could say something like, “Purchase basketball shoes, running shoes, or footwear for every sport, in any size.” Some paid search networks offer advertisement creation services to handle this for you, or you can design your own ads or hire someone to create them for you. Each ad is associated with a particular keyword and displayed beneath a link to your site on a search results page.
Choose keywords: Each ad’s title and text should include the keywords for which your target customers are most likely to search. For instance, if you sell computer components, you may want to add keywords such as drives, motherboards, memory, etc., to the ad. Fortunately, with research and tools like Yahoo! Search Marketing Keyword Selector Tool, you easily can determine the most common keywords. Be as specific as possible. For example, using the keywords “business supplies” may not help customers find your computer components because they are not typing in those particular keywords.

How It Works: Bidding for Placement
Bidding on keywords is one of the most important steps in the paid search process. Your bid helps determine your advertisement’s positioning in search results. In most instances, paid search networks rank you based on how much you pay. For example, if you want your ad to be displayed when someone searches for computer drives, you may be willing to pay a dollar every time someone clicks on your ad. If no one else is willing to pay more for the same keywords, Yahoo! Search Marketing will place your ad at the top of a user’s results. You also can see how much others are willing to bid, which helps you determine how much you want to bid.

Some networks like Google’s AdWords base advertisement positioning on bid price, but also factor in the current or past click-through rate. As a result, with AdWords, you may bid more for a specific keyword, but because your advertisement has had a low click-through rate in the past, it may still appear with less frequency than an ad placed by a lower bidder with a higher click-through rate.

While on the surface many of the paid search options appear the same, their differences are distinct. Do not hesitate to contact the companies with questions and make sure you are comfortable with the answers before proceeding.

Paid searches are a fast, efficient way to generate more traffic to your web site. They also ensure that your marketing efforts will provide results, whereas basic SEO techniques may not. With paid search, your listing will stay near the top of a results page for as long as you’re willing to pay the required fees. Taking the time to complete this process, and also spending a little extra money, helps ensure your online success in the long run.

Business Plan Essentials

Peter James — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 12:08:00 GMT

Learn about the elements that every successful business plan must contain.
When you're about to embark on developing a business plan, remember this: Form follows function, so you want a plan that fits your exact business needs. The emphasis should change depending on whether it's a plan for starting a company, raising investment money, supporting a business loan or managing an existing business. Read More >>

Creating a Website for Your Long Island Service Business

Peter James — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:26:04 GMT

If you have a small Long Island service business and would like to start selling it over the web or promoting your service, there are many differences from marketing a physical product over the web. Read the article, here, from Entrepreneur.com. These simple strategies will help you bring in more business.

Increase Long Island Small Business Potential With a Web Site

Peter James — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 10:15:48 GMT

While businesses of all sizes are tapping into the power of the Internet to market products and services and to communicate with customers, the advantage goes to Long Island small businesses. The low cost and flexibility of the Internet makes it easier than ever for entrepreneurs to outsmart their larger competitors, and it looks like word is getting out. Last year, 42 percent of companies with fewer than 100 employees had web sites, according to the Kelsey Group, a Princeton, N.J.-based market research firm.

Building a business web site is the first way you should start taking advantage of the power of the Internet, yet some people doubt it’s worth the effort. Are you afraid of all the maintenance and upkeep of starting a web site? Worried about learning HTML and other web lingo? Do you think it’ll be too expensive? Fear no more. Right Way Internet Web Hosting offers a starter plan for only $10.99 a month, a quick and easy way to build and manage your web site. Small business capabilities have increased dramatically with web sites. Features, such as email and voice-over Internet protocol communication, are inexpensive enough for even the smallest businesses. Best of all, they can reach more customers.

But before you start building your site, determine its purpose and write the content. Content is the area in which most small businesses fail. Anyone can build a web site, but to be successful, you have to fill it with good content. More and more businesses are utilizing a combination of online and offline solutions.

So, what are you waiting for? Start today by taking advantage of Right Way Internt's Web Hosting and Merchant Solutions help pages for planning, writing, and building your business web site.

Ten Tips for New Long Island Small Businesses

Peter James — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 10:16:20 GMT

1. Save up as much money as possible before starting.

All too often, people go into business without any savings, exclusively using loan money from friends, banks, or the SBA. They except to be able to start paying the loans back right away with their profits. What these business owners don't realize is that it can take months or years to make a profit. And once a lender discovers a business isn't as profitable as expected, the lender is likely to call in the loan or refuse to renew it for another year. Often new business owners then have to take out home equity loans or use credit cards to pay off their loans (which puts their home and credit rating at risk). For more information, see Business Financing FAQ.

A better plan is to save up as much of the needed investment money as possible, including your living expenses for the first year, or even two. Odds are that your business won't be profitable for one to two years. Even if you get plenty of business coming your way -- and your customers pay you on time, which isn't always a sure thing -- you'll want to be able to invest most of that money back in the business for space, equipment, advertising, and insurance needs.

2. Start on a shoestring.

Think small. Don't rent premises if you can work somewhere else, and don't hire employees until you can keep them busy. (You can hire independent contractors or temps in the meantime.)

People who start their small business on the cheap, often in a garage, den, or some other scavenged space, and create their first goods or services with more sweat than cash, have the luxury of making their inevitable rookie mistakes on a small scale. And precisely because their early screw-ups don't bury them in debt, they are usually able to learn and recover from them.

3. Protect your personal assets.

When you go into business for yourself, you are usually personally liable for all judgments and debts that the business incurs. This includes business loans, taxes, money owed to suppliers and landlords, and any judgments against the business as a result of a lawsuit. If you don't protect yourself, a creditor can go after your personal assets, such as your car and your house, to pay for these debts.

While you can protect yourself against lawsuits by buying business liability insurance, this won't help you with business debts. If you will be running up big debts, consider forming a corporation or limited liability company (LLC). Just one person can form either of these types of businesses.

4. Understand how, and if, you will make a profit.

You should be able to state in just a few sentences how your business plans to make a substantial profit. For starters, you need to know your costs: how much you'll spend purchasing inventory, paying the rent, compensating any employees, and covering what is likely to be a surprisingly long list of other costs. Then you can figure out exactly how much you need to sell each month, for how many dollars, to cover those expenses and have an adequate profit besides. These numbers are all you need to create a "break-even analysis."

5. Make a business plan, no matter how short.

Understanding your profit numbers and creating a break-even analysis is the first step in making a business plan. For most small companies, the key portions of a business plan are the break-even analysis, a profit-and-loss forecast, and a cash flow projection. (Projecting your cash flow is key and will make or break your company: Even if your business is getting plenty of work or selling its products, if you're not getting paid for 90-180 days, you're not going to survive unless you've planned for it.) With a cash flow spreadsheet in place, as well as a profit-and-loss forecast, you can tinker with your business idea and improve it before you start -- and continue to use them after you start.

Creating a business plan also allows you to determine what your projected start-up costs are (how much money you'll need to save) and what you marketing strategies are (how you'll reach customers to make sales). If you can't make the numbers work on paper, you won't be able to make them work in real life.

6. Get and keep a competitive edge.

Building a competitive edge into the fabric of your business is crucially important to long-term success. Some ways to get this edge are by knowing more than your competitors, making a product that is hard or impossible to imitate, being able to produce or distribute your product more efficiently, having a better location, or offering superior customer service.

One way to hold on to your competitive edge is to protect your trade secrets -- confidential information that gives you a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Examples of trade secrets include customer lists, survey methods, marketing strategies, and manufacturing techniques. To protect your trade secrets under the law, you need to take steps to keep the information confidential. This includes marking documents "Confidential," using passwords to protect computer information, using nondisclosure and/or noncompete agreements, and limiting access to employees with a reasonable need to know the trade secrets.

Another way to keep your competitive edge is to react quickly to bad news. Once you see that your business faces some kind of adversity, you need to come up with a plan to deal with it immediately. This may involve moving your offices, introducing a new product or service, or developing a better way to reach customers.

7. Put all agreements in writing.

The laws of your state require you to put some contracts and agreements in writing:

Contracts that will last longer than a year.
Contracts that involve the sale of goods worth $500 or more.
Contracts that transfer the ownership of copyrights or real estate.

Even if not legally required, it's wise to put almost everything in writing, because oral agreements can be difficult or impossible to prove. This includes leases or rental agreements, storage agreements, contracts for services (such as consulting or electrical work), purchase orders or contracts for goods worth more than a couple hundred dollars, offer letters of employment, and employment policies. Get in the habit of getting and giving receipts for all goods, services, and deposits, regardless of how much.

8. Hire and keep good people.

Your goal should be to hire and retain truly excellent employees -- not just reasonably competent ones. A highly competent and truly enthusiastic employee is at least two and sometimes even three times as valuable as a person of average skills.

To create a stable and happy workforce, it's essential not only that your employees (and independent contractors) believe they are being fairly treated, but that your business is worthy of respect. Employees and contractors who like their work will represent you well on and off the job. And customers will more likely be loyal to an upbeat business -- and are more likely to recommend it to their friends.

9. Pay attention to the legal status of your workers.

When you hire workers as independent contractors, make sure they shouldn't really be taxed as employees. The IRS can impose substantial penalties against you for not withholding taxes and paying taxes for a worker who is really an employee. The IRS and other agencies are likely to think that a worker is an employee rather than an independent contractor under any of these conditions:

The worker works full-time or nearly full-time for you.
The worker doesn't work for anyone else.
The worker provides services that are an integral part of your operations.
You control how the worker does the job and provide detailed instructions and training for the worker.

One way to help avoid trouble is to have the worker sign a written service contract, or independent contractor agreement.

Most employees you hire will be "at-will" employees -- subject to being fired at any time and for any reason (except for illegal motives such as discrimination). It's important to preserve your at-will rights because they protect you from having to prove that you have a valid business-related reason to terminate an employee. Don't make any promises to prospective or current employees that you are offering a permanent job or that they will lose their job only if they perform poorly, because this will limit your ability to terminate the employee for other reasons, such as personality conflicts or finances.

When hiring an at-will employee, have the employee sign an offer letter that makes it clear that the employment relationship is at will. Except for high-level executives, you shouldn't have employees sign an employment contract -- this can limit your ability to alter the terms of employment as your business needs change and subjects you to higher legal standards.

10. Pay your bills early and your taxes on time.

In the real world, where a reputation for keeping one's word is a hugely important asset, a good strategy is either to pay your bills up front or pay them early. You gain trust, build a positive credit profile, and have a built-in safety net if things go badly. These benefits outweigh any interest you might earn by holding onto your money until the last possible minute.

Most importantly, pay your payroll taxes on time, especially the portion that you withhold from your employees' paychecks. The IRS and state tax authorities can hold you personally liable for these taxes, plus stiff penalties, if they're not paid. This is true even if you operate your business as a corporation or LLC or if your business goes bankrupt -- you will still be personally and legally on the hook to pay back payroll taxes.

How to choose a good Domain Name

Peter James — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 14:43:55 GMT

Why is a good domain name important? A good domain name helps you in numerous ways.

For Businesses
Add your domain name to your business card, email signature, and other advertisements.

Build credibility: Show your customers that you have an established business.
Improve your marketing: Provide customers an easy way to remember and contact you.
Protect your brand: Secure the domain name that best represents your business name - and keep it out of the hands of your competitors.

For Consumers
Describe your site as best you can with your domain name. For example, a pair of amateur magicians might use their stage names, some combination of words including magic, or the name of their most famous trick.

How do I choose a domain name?

Keep these tips in mind as you select your domain name:

Keep It Short - The shorter the better. It's best to keep your domain less than 15 characters. A shorter name is easier to remember and it also reduces the likelihood that your visitor mistype or misspell the url. It should be a unique and concise name that is easy to say, remember, and spell.
Reflect Your Business - Your domain name should reflect your business name or the topic your site will cover.
Choose a .com - If you are debating between several top-level domains, go with the .com. It is what most people think of when they are typing in a domain name. You can still find a good domain if you look.

If your first choice isn't available, try rearranging the word order, adding hyphens, or using abbreviations or locations to come up with a unique alternative.

Some web sites help you come up with alternative names for your web site, if the name you want is already taken. Try Right Way Internet's web site and search for a domain. They give you a list of alternative names that are available.

Check out these other articles: Tips on Choosing a Good Domain Name and Ten Tips for Choosing a Good Domain Name.

What is a Domain Name?

Peter James — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 14:42:50 GMT

What's in a domain name? A lot more than you might think. Your domain name can be your first impression, your face to the outside world, and your new marketing plan. Learn more about what domain names are, why you should take the time to choose a good one for yourself, and how to go about it.

What is a domain name?
A domain name is an address for the Internet. It helps people find your web site. Just as homes and businesses have street addresses, all web sites have domain names. www.msnbc.com is an example of a domain name.

A domain name is made up of two parts, typically preceded by www. Let's use msnbc.com as an example:

The first part, msnbc, is a unique name that represents the web site.
The second part, com, is the extension, and stands for "commercial." There are many extensions available, though .com, .net, .biz, .info, and .us are the most popular extensions in the United States.

A domain name can be any combination of letters and/or numbers up to 63 characters. There are no spaces in a domain name but you can put a dash.